Loyalty
by KC Evans
Summary: [One Shot Series, AR] I watched him, the little boy turned grownup shinobi who couldn't understand why anyone would willingly betray their home. In a way, I was glad he couldn't understand. It was proof that his own loyalty would never be broken.
1. Unswerving Loyalty

_Disclaimer: Naruto is copyrighted by their respective owners, of which I am not one._

_

* * *

_

Warnings: Language, mention of Icha Icha Paradise. Alternate Reality, Slight Character OOC

Summary: The villagers were lucky to have such a dedicated shinobi like Naruto. Too bad they would never realize that truth. But at least I did. And I guess, in the end, that was enough.

* * *

From the very beginning, I knew something was different about Uzumaki Naruto. 

No, it wasn't the faint whiskers on his cheeks or that he happened to have atrocious taste in clothing and color (though it was bad). It wasn't because he could go from cheerfully loud to sulky mad within a bat of an eyelash.

It was how the villagers reacted to him. And how he reacted to them in turn.

It became rather obvious to anyone who hung out with Naruto that he was treated differently. Not differently with respect because he was a shinobi protecting the village and their lives. No, they treated him coldly. Ignored him. Gave to him grudgingly what they freely gave to the rest of us.

After intensely watching the villagers interact with him for a week, I concluded that they hated Naruto. Probably because he carried Kyubi within him.

(Someone should have told Sandaime his edict about never discussing the fox demon was rarely observed when people were drunk or talking in the privacy of their homes. Sure, the new generation of shinobi didn't know that the Nine-tails was still alive, but if you were intrepid enough, you could get a lot of information just by listening to the adults. Especially after eight cups of sake.)

Yet Naruto didn't hate them back. In fact, he endured the veiled insults and sneers with surprising patience. He didn't cuss back at them (except for one time when a man had the audacity to come between him and his ramen – but that's another story), didn't wave around his kunai in a threatening manner (except, again, to that ignorant ramen-blocker), and didn't demand equal treatment.

He merely smiled his neutral smile, accepted what he received, and said nothing.

I wondered why. I pondered it for a long time, wrestling with ideas and discarding them as either too ridiculous or too un-Naruto like. It puzzled me as to why Naruto-the-prankster and Naruto-the-number-one-shinobi-at-surprising-people would put up with the indignant treatment of the villagers with such patience (I'm sure Tsunade-sama would have killed for even a tenth of that virtue directed towards her).

Were I him, I would have Rasengan-ed them all the way to the abyss and back by now. Maybe even twice.

Luckily for said villagers, Naruto bore with all the ill-treatment like a saint. Oh sure, he'd holler and fuss at his fellow teammates and even to the other rookies (and no doubt to Iruka-sensei), but with the villagers, he became an altogether new Naruto. (The pranks he pulled while at the Academy hadn't diminished in the slightest; rather, the target of these tricks changed from the poor, unsuspecting townsfolk to his fellow shinobi. I swear, sometimes he has a deathwish. Why else would he attempt to rig up a bucket of glue and feathers on Morino Ibiki?).

But after a while, the hatred would get to him. I could see it in the strained smile and quietness. Naruto would remain silent, shrug off any questions. And once in a while, he would sigh, his guard would slip, and I could see the aching loneliness and despair passing through his eyes.

Which made me wonder all the more: why did he put up with it?

And more importantly, did the villagers know how lucky they were to be still alive?

One only had to go on a mission with Naruto to know just how strong hewas, and the amount of damage he could do if he so wished. Even when faced with overwhelming odds, the blond's determination not to fail, to not give up on his dreams of becoming Hokage made him a formidable opponent. It was his greatest strength and time and time again, enemies and people alike underestimated him.

Yes, I would be the first to admit I was like that once. But at least I can now claim to see the truth.

Case in point of the villagers. Team 7 along with our sensei were heading to what I'm sure Naruto considered heaven on earth. Namly, the Ichiraku ramen stand for dinner. There was an unusual amount of people out today, perhaps to enjoy the balmy weather that was characteristic of the autumn in Konoha. As it was, we had to practically push our way through just so we wouldn't be swept away by the crowd. Why is it that whenever there was a large mass of people and you had to go in one direction, everyone else seemed to be heading the opposite way?

Anyway, we were all still more or less together when there was a loud crash to my right and a loud voice erupted over the drowning sound of the crowd.

"Look what you did, you flea-infested rat face! You'd better pay for all that!"

I turned around and saw a small pocket of space had opened up. Right away, I noticed a large, angry man who was splattered in some sort of red glop and Naruto, who had managed to go unscathed (the perks of being shinobi - fast reflexes). Between them was a large, upturned metal pot that had carried said glop (some sort of sauce, maybe?).

He was glaring and pointing at Naruto, who had slipped on his neutral My-middle-name-is-Patience expression. "Well? Hand over some money, you little brat, or I'll make you regret it!"

Naruto said nothing, which made the man angrier. He clenched his fists together and stepped over the mess. My teammate didn't move, not even when it was apparent he was going to be attacked.

I snorted and crossed my arms across my chest. What kind of idiot attacked a shinobi? We were accorded respect as we were trained to protect the village. Did that moron villager think he could hit a ninja and get away with it? Not only could Naruto retaliate, he could do it without moving a strand of hair out of place.

The crowd had been silent thus far but an ugly jeer now rose up from the ranks. Shouts of encouragement for the man erupted from the mob. "Show him who's boss, Goro!" "Don't let that fox wimp beat you!" "Beat him down! Beat him!"

I ignored the shouts. Naruto could take care of himself. As Goro swung his fist around, I waited for Naruto to block or dodge the blow.

But he still didn't move.

My stance faltered as I realized he was going to take it. Naruto was going to take the punch without complaint. For a moment, I wondered what alien had taken over his body. This was not the Naruto I knew. Or had come to grudgingly respect.

From the corner of my eye, our third teammate had wrestled to the edge of the crowd. Seeing what was happening and realizing the truth about the same time I did, we prepared to defend Naruto. But even then, I knew we would be too late.

Goro's fist sailed towards Naruto's face and I couldn't look away even as I leapt forward to protect my idiot friend. But as the large man's hand smashed into flesh, I skidded to a halt.

Kakashi-sensei was there, standing between attacker and would-be victim, his right eye showing lazy boredom. "Maa, maa, what's all the fuss here? It's just a little spilled soup, after all." His voice reflected the same disinterest his eye did even as his hand stopped the fist that had been aimed for Naruto.

The presence of the infamous Copy-nin shook Goro up for a moment but he finally found his voice. "That little brat ruined my profits! He's gotta pay!"

"You bumped into me."

For the first time, Naruto spoke, his voice flat and emotionless. He didn't look at the man.

Goro gasped with affront. "Why you little … how dare you? You're just a stupid demo— Aaagh!"

I could see Kakashi's eye narrow the slightest bit as he applied pressure to the man's fist in his grasp. Leaning forward slightly, the jounin whispered just loud enough for me to hear. "_Don't. Even_."

That tone of voice promised pain and retribution so terrible he would lucky to leave with his head attached to his body. Scary. I actually had to repress a shiver.

The threat was apparently clear to Goro as well. He swallowed – hard – and nodded so rapidly his hair flapped around as if trying to take flight.

Suddenly, Kakashi reverted back to his usual happy self. "Well, then," he proclaimed, releasing the man's fist. "It was just a little misunderstanding and we'll just be going our way. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, let's go get our dinner!"

"Hai," we murmured and fell in step behind our sensei, leaving the silent crowd behind. For some inexplicable reason, I felt relieved. Naruto's secret was safe and so was he. At least for now.

* * *

As if the evidence that Naruto put up with the villager's taunting and punishment weren't enough, the next day he acted like his normal, boisterous self as we met at the bridge. To say the least, I was confused. How could he be so different with us and with other people? 

The pinnacle of my confusion came when we were assigned to a B-class mission that day. Kakashi-sensei poofed in (only three hours late this time) and gave us the details. There had been a string of robberies from the main road leading into Konoha where visitors and residents alike were accosted, relieved of their money purses and the occasional jewelry, and released. The bandits threatened the people with swords and seemed as though they could use the weapon properly. But because no one had gotten seriously hurt from these attacks (minus the one or two incidents in which the victims slipped and fell to the ground in their haste to get away) and because only two people were reported seen in all the robberies, it was merely classified as a B. The Godaime thought it was the perfect mission for Team 7.

Kakashi finished debriefing us and gave us his happy, inverted U-shaped eye. "All right, team, the entire village is counting on us. Tsunade-sama wants you three to handle the details so I'll just be around to check and make sure nothing goes wrong."

I heard a mutter from our third teammate who said something like, "If they're going to give us chuunin-level missions and treat us like one, shouldn't we get the rank, too?"

I agreed with that sentiment; it was a bone of contention between Team 7 and the Hokage. She had refused to let us retake the chuunin test so far and Kakashi (the traitor!) agreed.

Why? I have no idea. They wouldn't tell us, but I had a feeling it had to do with a certain person onthe team (who shall remain nameless) and his actions from three years ago.

"Eh, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, interrupting my thoughts and dragging my attention back to my teammates. "What kind of bandits attack people in broad daylight?"

The jounin shrugged as he whipped out a familiar orange hard-back novel. "What kind of bandits attack Konoha villagers with the same predictable pattern? That'll be for you three to figure out. Be careful now!"

Kakashi-sensei leapt back and watched us (okay, he was reading his horribly immoral book but I'm sure he was watching us from the corner of his eye) as we discussed the best way to lay in wait for the bandits. Because the attacks took place around the same area, it would be a little bit easier to track them down. The main road was, of course, rather busy so we knew we wouldn't have to wait long for them to show up.

After a plan was concocted that would cover most of the area, we separated and took to the trees. Each of us had a sector to scan and would warn the others if there was any sign of the bandit and/or potential targets. We dampened our chakra just in case the bandits could sense it. A wireless transmitter was in our ear so we could communicate with little noise. We positioned ourselves to be hidden from view. There was nothing left to do but wait. So we did.

And waited. And waited.

(At this point, I heard a soft voice muttering through his transmitter mouthpiece, "Bored, soooo bored!" Of course, it was Naruto. To my chagrin, I had to resist the urge to join him in chanting the same mantra.)

Apparently, the news of the robberies around Konoha alarmed people so much they were avoiding the road altogether. Well, crap. How could we apprehend the bandits if there was no one to rob?

Plus, my leg was falling asleep. I hated that feeling.

As if on cue, there was a slight static in my ear and I heard a soft voice murmur, "Blue One in Sector Zero."

Finally! A potential victim. We had designated the code 'blue' to represent a civilian and'yellow' to be the bandits. ('One', of course, meant there was one person.)

Carefully, I lifted my leg without rustling the leaves around me and shook it awake, just in case I would have to move fast. It would be time to take action soon. Where there were victims, there were criminals.

Another soft voice spoke. "Yellow Target One sighted. Entering Sector Two."

My body tensed in excitement. I detected a faint rustle of leaves about a hundred feet away from my position and then a flash of black. "Yellow Target Two sighted in Sector One. Where's Blue One?" I whispered.

"Heading into Sector Two."

"Blue One spotted. Yellow One readying."

"Naruto, head into Sector Two. I'll watch Yellow Two," I said, leaning forward to get a better look at the bandit in the trees below. But there was no one there.

Cursing, I broke free from my position and began leaping to help my teammates. "Yellow Two is gone. Repeat, Yellow Two is gone. Stay on guard!"

"Roger," a staticky voice said.

I arrived in the area designated as Sector Two and saw that the victim was already on his knees, tucked into a small ball. A pathetic whimper escaped him as the fighters leapt and moved around the prone figure. Weapons flashed and glinted in a macabre dance that was deadly yet beautiful at the same time. Near the man was an upturned cart with a pot of red glop. I blinked at the sudden familiar scene and took a closer look. Yep, it was the same man who had tried to hit Naruto the other day.

Imagine the irony.

I supposed I didn't have time to taunt Goro since Naruto was being attacked by two men. I couldn't see the third of our trio. But I did hear a large, rustling sound to my left and spun around to face the noise. Three men crashed through the overgrown shrubbery and I saw a glimpse of another fight beyond them where more kunai and swords were meeting. Our missing teammate was there, fending off another pair of fighters.

Hn. Someone had neglected to inform us the possibility of more than two bandits. From the look of things, there was at least seven total.

Well, I wasn't one to complain. I was itching for a fight. I also wanted to prove to Goro that without us, he would have been dead long ago.

That without Naruto, he would have been dead.

I immediately engaged my set of enemies with a sort of glee that seemed to unnerve them. Slipping out a kunai for each hand, I attacked to gauge their skills. They weren't bad, really, but I was better. As we did our ritual dance, weaving in and out, I scanned the three men for any weaknesses. Seeing an opening, I dodged a sword swing to my side, darted in, and thrust my kunai into the chest of one bandit. He stumbled back, gurgled, and fell over.

Hehe. One down, two left.

But as I turned my attention to my remaining targets, I could hear a yelp followed by a loud moan. Risking a glance to the side, I saw that Goro was clutching his head and emitting pitiful noises even though I couldn't see any injuries on him.Then I realized the cause for his whimper were the two men standing over him, swords drawn.

I cursed, realizing that I had been so intent in battle that I didn't notice more bandits arriving at the scene. But as I tried to move towards Goro, I was cut off.

"Running away?" one of the sneered through a curtain of hair. His greasy locks valiantly tried to cover a large scar that nearly cut his face in half, a diagonal slash that had puckered with age.

A surge of anger rushed through me as much from the challenge of the bandit as the frustration I couldn't help the would-be victim. "I don't run," I said flatly, keeping one eye on Goro. Our mission was to stop the bandits, but not protecting one of the villagers wouldn't look good either. And knowing the man, he would complain to the Hokage (and anyone else who would listen) about our negligence.

When I saw one of the bandits raise his sword to show he was going to attack the hapless idiot – I mean Goro, I started to move towards him again. Unfortunately, Ugly Scar surged forward in an attack, forcing me back. I had no choice but to defend myself. From the corner of my eye I saw the sword descend into the quaking man.

Damn. Whoever said the bandits weren't hurting anyone was obviously as misinformed about the number of them. I made a mental note to tell the Hokage Intelligence needed to work on their information gathering skills.

"Kyaaa!"

Naruto. As I dodged the sword thrust from Ugly Scar and threw my last kunai as a distraction, I caught a glimpse of orange leaping to tackle the swordsman just beforehe made a Goro-kabob.Naruto apparently managed to use enough strength to bowl both men oversince they were knocked off their feet.

I realized Naruto abandoned his own fight to protect Goro.

Goro, who tried to punch him just yesterday. Who called him names and sneered at him. Who nearly revealed his (semi?) secret to the world.

Just another thing Naruto did that I couldn't understand.

The bandits regrouped together while Naruto sprang to his feet in front of Goro (who, by the way, hadn't even bothered to lift his head to see what was going on. Obviously, he was quite comfortable where he was).

Four against one weren't exactly overwhelming oddssince they weren't S-class criminals, but it was difficult to fight and protect someone at the same time. I decided to finish up with my opponents to help Naruto with his.

I turned my attention back to my own fight in time to see a sword swing aimed for my neck. I dropped into a crouch to avoid the blow and spun around in a low kick to knock Ugly Scar off his feet. His sword went flying up in the air as he slammed on his back, grunting from the hard impact. Standing, I reached forthe weapon from its downward descent. With the blade pointed down, I plunged it into my unworthy opponent's chest.

Two down, one left. I smirked at the remaining bandit who suddenly didn't look so confident.

In the distance, I heard a loud boom. Someone had used an exploding tag. Then I felt a surge of chakra near by.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

One Naruto multiplied into four more and they each jumped into what was like choreographed action. One stood guard over Goro (who _still_ hadn't look up once as far as I could tell) while three others engaged the enemy. The remaining shadow clone ran by and plunged into the thicket where I my opponents had originally come from. I could tell that Naruto was going to help our third teammate.

As it was, the presence of more loud-mouth, bewhiskered ninja than there should naturally be tipped the battle in our favor. Another five minutes of fighting and it was all over. The bodies of the bandits were strewn over the forest ground, though I noticed a few were still alive to be interrogated later (and to help recover any stolen goods). Kakashi-sensei had yet to make an appearance despite the completion of the mission, no doubt still reading his porn somewhere.

Panting but triumphant, Team 7 regrouped and stared down at Goro.

He had wet himself and was still quivering in fear. I ruthlessly suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.

Naruto, on the other hand, squatted down and poked Goro on the shoulder. "Hey, old man! Get up, you're safe now!" He wrinkled his nose and added, "Phew, you stink, too! Come on, we'll take you back to the village."

Goro slowly lifted his head and saw Naruto's blue eyes peering into his face. They were so close I was certain the man could see the fine lines of the blond ninja's whiskers. "Gah! Demon!" he shrieked and scuttled back as far away as he could manage.

Naruto sighed and for a moment I glimpsed of the tired, defeated expression in his eyes. Turning around, he called out, "Ne, Kakashi-sensei, I'll head back to Tsunade-baa-chan and turn in our report. Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme can help you clean up here."

Kakashi appeared overhead on a low branch. "All right, Naruto. Good job, you three."

We all eyed him balefully. "Thanks for the help," I said dryly.

The jounin crinkled his eye at me. "You obviously didn't need it. All right, let's get this mess straightened out. Sakura, you help Goro-san up. Sasuke, let's get these bandits accounted for."

Even before Kakashi-sensei finished speaking, I saw the last third of our trio bound away, disappearing into swell of the forest. He was alone once more.

* * *

It took me a while to track down my teammate after we cleaned up the forest. Naruto, as promised, had already gave an oral and written report to the Godaime so the paperwork was done (surprising since he, out of all of us, hated filling out the report the most). I needed to talk to him, to figure out why he saved Goro when it was obvious the man would never change his opinion of Naruto, even after the blond saved the ungrateful bastard. I was confused and I did not like the feeling one bit. 

After checking his apartment, the Ichiraku stand, and the training ground, I figured there were only two places left he'd go: Iruka-sensei's house or Mount Hokage. After what had happened, I doubted Naruto would want to be around the all-too perceptive school teacher and answer uncomfortable questions (no doubt he had heard of yesterday's spilled red glop incident with Goro already) so I tried the latter place first.

I, of course,was right in my supposition. I approached the blond just as he was about to settle down at the edge.

"Naruto?"

He glanced at me as he flopped onto the ground, legs dangling off the edge as he looked over the village. One hand was absently raised to rub one of the spikes that depicted Yondaime's hair. The stone was so smooth that I suspected it was a regular gesture he did when sitting on the Fourth. "Yeah?" he asked, giving away no surprise at my use of his actual name.

I hesitated before joining him at the edge of Mount Hokage, settling down next to the blond. Since he didn't protest to my presence, I relaxed slightly and followed his gaze out. From here, the view of Konoha was breathtakingly beautiful. Houses and people and trees and colors exploded into a portrait of picturesque perfection and calm. From here, one could almost believe there was not a problem in the world that couldn't be solved.

But I had long ago ceased to believe everything would turn out all right in the end. And I was willing to bet a years' supply of ramen that Naruto did, too.

Since I wasn't really too interested in the view, I decided to ask my questions instead. I never did havea tolerance for dancing around the truth. "Why did you save that man?"

Naruto turned to look at me, a frown marring his expression. "What do you mean?"

"That soup vendor, Goro. He treated you like a leper but you saved his life anyway. Why?"

His brows furrowed into a classic 'I'm confused' Naruto look. "Because he was in danger?" From the way he phrased it, he sounded like I was giving him a pop quiz and he wasn't sure of the right answer.

"Yes, but why?" I could be patient. All the thinking in the world couldn't help me come up with the reason why Naruto put up with so much from the villagers and I was determined to learn the answer now. "You were already fighting off two bandits. You risked your life for his. You didn't have to."

His expression cleared and he turned back to look down at the village. "Yes, I did. What kind of shinobi would I be if I couldn't even protect my own people?" I saw from the corner of my eye that he flashed his famous smile that just oozed confidence. "After all,the future Hokage can't just let his villagers die on him!"

Hmph. That didn't answer the question at all. After all, he could have claimed Goro was too far away to save. I had been closer than Naruto and I couldn't even move. "But _why_? Why do you put up with all the abuse? All the hate?"

"Oh, that." Naruto was quiet for a moment and I let him think. Or dream about ramen, whatever was going on in his head. "It won't help to complain. Tsunade-baa-chan can't _make _people like me. And even if she says anything, it'll just make them treat me worse when she's not around." He shrugged. "Anyway, it's because I want to."

Now I was really confused. "Explain," I said.

He smiled his patient smile at me. "Konoha is my home. I love this village and I love all the people within it. Yeah, there are jerks out there who'll probably never give me a chance. They'll be the ones who'll oppose my bid to become Hokage. They'll never stop egging my house or throwing rocks at me. But that's okay."

It is? "It is?" I said.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. 'Cause there are those in the village who make it worth it. I have Iruka-sensei and all my friends and fellow ninja who would die to protect me. They acknowledge me. They care for me." He paused as if struggling to find the right words. "But I can't differentiate between those whom I love and would save and those whom I wouldn't. It's … well, Konoha is my home and I love it."

I mulled that over for a while. Was that it? Such a simple reason? The reason why he didn't become bitter and angry at those who constantly mocked him? Was that kind of love, that kind of loyalty strong enough to get past all those negative feelings?

I looked at Naruto again. He was a good ninja. And he was strong, stronger with Kyubi inside him. He could have unleashed his anger out on the village and do enormous amounts of damage. There would be many of Konoha's enemies who would welcome such a power to their side. But love for his home was so strong that temptations of power or even acceptance wouldn't turn him (unlike a certain person who did just that).

Such unswerving loyalty. A necessary trait in all shinobi but Uzumaki Naruto embodied that very principle just by being here still, despite the ill-treatment and abuse.

And, from what I could tell, he always would remain to defend his home and his people.

Satisfied with my reasoning, I stood. "Come on, dobe. I'll buy you some ramen."

The mere mention of that tasteless food (dare I call it that?) had his eyes light up into a rich shade of turquoise. "Really? All right, let's go! I'm going to get a supersize miso pork ramen with extra meat!" He slid a sideways glance at me and cackled. The hair on my neck stood straight up at that shifty look. "I hope you brought your big wallet, Teme!" With that, he hopped up and sped down to Ichiraku.

I shook my head slightly, a reluctant smile tugging at the corners of my lips before following my teammate. The villagers were lucky to have such a dedicated shinobi like Naruto. Too bad they would never realize that truth. But at least I did.

And I guess, in the end, that was enough.


	2. Blind Loyalty

_Disclaimer: Naruto is copyrighted by their respective owners, of which I am not one._

_

* * *

_Warnngs: Slight Character OOC. Vaguely takes place after anime episode 80.

Summary: He would stop at nothing to learn and learn and learn until he gained all the knowledge and power he sought. And I would help him in any way I could. It would be my pleasure to see his dreams come true.

* * *

It was past dawn when I finally gave up for the night. My eyes had been bleary for the past six hours, making it harder to focus. But I was disciplined and I had forced myself to continue reading and studying the texts before me. It was important research that I was doing, but I knew trying to do any more right now would be pointless. I was exhausted and couldn't focus any longer. 

Shoving the book away from me, I took a quick mental inventory of my body. My muscles were slow to respond and my head felt as though a filmy veil has been draped over it that I couldn't quite remove. As a medic nin, I knew it meant I need rest, that I was close to collapsing.

But my decision to finally seek sleep was interrupted. There was a knock and a brief pause before the door opened. A familiar dark head poked its way into the room, searching for me. "Orochimaru-sama is calling you," Kidomaru said simply.

Not surprised at the summons, I nodded once – all the energy I could muster at the moment – before I stood. Immediately the room spun in a dizzying circle before it righted. I clutched the edge of the table instinctively until the spell passed. When the vertigo finally receded, I took a deep breath and moved towards the door. Passing by the other nin who made no move to follow, I slowly shuffled my way down the familiar, dank hallway towards the end where there was another door. I opened it in time to hear a bellow of pain erupting from his mouth.

The room wasn't very large though it was big enough to boast a wide bed, a writing desk shoved in one corner on the right, and a small nightstand with a tray on top of its surface. The tray contained a pitcher and an empty glass cup. Several fat candles were positioned around the room for maximal light exposure, though most of them were already drooping from the sheer number of hours it was forced to stay lit. The limp flames highlighted the pool of crimson in front of me, a rather poor imitation of a rug. A macabre rag doll lay next to it on its side.

The cry laced with agony that had greeted me wasn't unexpected. I pushed the door in further and saw the sole living occupant of the room in his bed where I had left him six hours ago. The candles flickered with enough light to see his pale skin dripping sweat as he underwent another wave of pain. He was now dressed in a simple, white yukata sporting spots of wetness where the sweat fell, unchecked. His arms were laid out straight next to his side, useless.

Orochimaru caught sight of me and ground out, "The pain is worse this time, Kabuto."

Any weariness I felt melted away at the sound of his voice. My head immediately cleared as I stepped inside the room, bypassing the latest evidence of his displeasure. One had to be completely focused when dealing with the Sannin. "Has the medication I developed not help at all?" I inquired, approaching his side. Once reaching the bed where he was reclining, I activated my chakra and lifted my hand to hover over his right arm, checking its condition. In my current state, I knew it was rather dangerous to use up more energy than I had to spare, but I had done this same action so many times it was almost second nature now.

"I don't need medicine, I need my arms back," he hissed, staring at me with his violet eyes. Had I met his gaze, I knew I would have seen the reptilian slits spitting out venomous poison by the mere look alone.

"I am working on that, Orochimaru-sama," I said calmly in reminder. The check on his arm completed, I deactivated my chakra and allowed my hand to drop back to my side. "There is no change in the condition of your arm. In the meantime, the medication should be able to ease the discomfort you are experiencing at the moment. Please allow me to administer a dose."

He watched me with that unnerving, unblinking gaze of his but I met it without fear. I knew he needed me, needed my training as a medic and researcher to help him. After the fight with Sandaime when he lost the use of his arms and techniques, he had to rely upon me more often. I often wondered if that bothered him, but as usual, he revealed nothing that he didn't want known.

I waited patiently for his response, knowing that even in his pained condition, Orochimaru would be a dangerous foe should I do something to displease him. He was one of the legendary Sannin, powerful and clever. Everything he did was to further his goals. He demanded respect and loyalty and allowed nothing to get in his way.

Perhaps that is why I served him so faithfully. He was a man whom I had long admired and noted to be a true genius. None could compare to his ambitions or his capability in achieving them. No one.

I briefly recalled Naruto speaking of his desire to become the Hokage. His determination and naïve innocence were admirable, but he did not have the streak of ruthlessness needed in dealing with his opponents. He didn't understand that sometimes, lesser beings had to be squashed in order to gain your prize. They should be willing to sacrifice themselves for a higher purpose.

I knew Orochimaru-sama felt the same way because he had done just that: any opposition to his plans was dealt with accordingly. He would stop at nothing to learn and learn and learn until he gained all the knowledge and power he sought.

And I would help him in any way I could. It would be my pleasure to see his dreams come true.

Orochimaru finally spoke, scattering my thoughts to bring my attention back to him. "Very well, Kabuto. But continue your research until a cure is found."

I nodded to him, pushing my glasses up with a forefinger to keep them from sliding down the bridge of my nose. "Of course, Orochimaru-sama. I am hopeful to have a report for you within a few days. I have been following a promising lead thus far. The last mission you gave to the Sound Four has yielded some extremely valuable medic techniques which should aid in healing your arms."

He merely nodded, expression turning slightly disgruntled as he lay back down. I opened the door on the nightstand next to his bed and extracted a small bottle. Uncorking it, I shook out three large red pills and offered it to his mouth. Using his long tongue, Orochimaru lapped up the medicine with a swift curl of muscle. Pouring water into the glass from the pitcher, I held up a cup next. Borne from weeks of practice, I tilted the cup up in the exact angle which allowed him to swallow the liquid and pills easily. When he was done, I took the container away and set it back on the nightstand.

"It will take a little while before the medication should begin working," I said as I capped the bottle and set it back in the nightstand drawer. Shutting it with my hand, I straightened and looked down at him.

Orochimaru grunted and gave me an appraising stare that felt as though he could see into my thoughts. Who knows? Perhaps he had learned or created a jutsu that could do just that. "Go to bed, Kabuto."

I lifted my brows, the only sign of surprise shown at his words. But of course, I had been up for nearly two days without sleep; no doubt the lack of rest was evident on my face. I nodded at him, recognizing the dismissal. Turning, I headed out of the room, making a mental note to have someone clean up the corpse that was still drizzling blood on the ground. I didn't recognize who it was, nor did I care. The pathetic fool must have been killed just minutes before I entered. No matter; he had had the privilege of serving his master loyally and now had gone onto his reward.

As I exited Orochimaru-sama's room, I found a nearby shinobi and gave my orders to take the body away before heading down the corridor again. I hesitated as I came to a fork in the hallway. If I went left, I would be going to my room for some much needed sleep. If I continued straight, I would return back to my study and resume my research.

After a brief consideration, I strode down the corridor. Reaching my door, I opened it and stepped inside. There was no sign of Kidomaru except a spider crawling up the wall next to me. It had already begun spinning a web with its silken threads.

I ignored it and headed back to my desk. There was a faint pulsing at my temples indicating a headache was in the making, but I ignored it. Weariness once again dropped upon me like a weight but I refused to let it deter me. My medic studies had trained me to be focused for long hours on end. Certainly I could read a few more hours before I actually needed to sleep. Orochimaru-sama was counting on me and I didn't want to let him down.

Slipping back into my chair, I pulled the medical textbook towards me and began to read again.


	3. Team Loyalty

_Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by its respective owners, of which I am not one._

_

* * *

_

Warnings: Language, Spoilers up to anime episode 141. Unbeta-ed. AR, slight character OOC

Summary: I knew the Godaime had called me in as a last measure, a desperate move that her former Academy teacher might reach her where others had failed. But seeing her again, I knew I would do whatever I could to find out what was going on.

* * *

I found her leaning against the bridge where her old team used to meet, staring down at the rushing water that roared through. She didn't move as I stepped next to her side, lay my arms on the railing, and dropped my eyes to the stream to imitate to her position. 

We stayed that way for a while. I was completely content in giving her all the time she needed before she would acknowledge my presence. After having taught at the Academy for so long, patience had slowly become a part of who I was. I had to laugh at myself at that thought. Who would have ever thought that Umino Iruka, the number one prankster not fifteen years ago, would become the epitome of patience?

Bemused with my own thoughts, I was startled when Sakura finally decided to give in and face me, turning her head in my direction. "Is there something you needed, Iruka-sensei?" she asked me. Her emerald eyes, usually so bright and full of intelligence, now only looked dull and tired. Her skin, once a healthy peach, was now pale and had a slightly pinched look. Even her bright hair was limp and carelessly tied back at the nape. It was obvious she was losing weight she could ill afford; her face was drawn and bones were sticking out in places I knew wasn't right.

Most telling of all, I could find no trace of her hitai-ate on her person.

This was worse than what Tsunade-sama had told me. I hid a frown as I looked down at her upturned face. The exhaustion there was palpable. She didn't look as though she could find her way out of a one-room apartment. "Sakura," I began, "you haven't been taking care of yourself."

Her shoulders lifted in some sort of semblance of a shrug. "I'm all right."

"If you're all right, Tsunade-sama has been lax in your studies as a medic-nin," I said dryly. "You haven't been sleeping?"

Sakura sighed again and presented me with her profile as she turned her head back to stare at the stream whipping by. "Iruka-sensei, I know they told you about what happened to me. But I don't want to talk about it."

Always to the point, I thought rather ruefully. Well, it was the least I could offer my former student. Instead of tiptoeing around the issue, I decided to be as blunt as she was. "You don't have to talk about what happened there. But we do need to talk about what's going on now." She didn't say anything and this time I did frown openly. I turned my body so my attention was completely on her, leaning one hip against the railing of the bridge. "Sakura, you can't ignore what happened and hope it will go away. I thought I taught you better than that."

She flinched but still declined to respond. I rubbed the bridge of my nose in exasperation, feeling the familiar puckered edge of the scar crossing my face. For all her complaints about Naruto's stubbornness and Sasuke's constant cold indifference, Sakura had a rather deep streak of obstinacy herself.

I heaved a sigh and tried a different tact. "Tsunade-sama says you've refused any mission that would require you to kill so far," I murmured. "Which, as you probably realize, is almost all of them."

"I'm a medic-nin," she retorted. "Why should I kill?"

"You're a shinobi first," I reminded her gently. "A shinobi is a –"

"- Tool to be used. I've already heard that speech from Kakashi-sensei, Shizune-san, and numerous other kunoichi Tsunade-sama sent before you," Sakura said harshly. "I don't need to hear it again!"

I stared at her. She hadn't turned to face me again, instead keeping her fierce gaze focused on the water. Her fists were clenched together and she was shaking. In anger.

I wasn't quite sure what to say next. Of course, there had been numerous ninjas who had given up the career because they couldn't stomach one aspect of it or another. Usually, it had to do with killing. I wasn't surprised to see Sakura, being as sensitive and intelligent as she was, questioning the issue. But I was surprised to see how hard she was struggling with it.

She had been fine until after the mission. Even if it was nearing the third anniversary of one Uchiha Sasuke's defection, Sakura had managed to maintain her kind-hearted, upbeat personality.

Something had happened during her last mission when she froze that wasn't in the official report, I decided. From what the team leader had reported, it was a typical A-class rescue mission. Sakura had been assigned to the mission only as a medic and backup support since her official rank was still chuunin. But studying under the Hokage had caused her skills to grow exponentially and she was fast becoming one of the most talented medic-nin Konoha had produced.

The change in her demeanor occurred immediately after she returned to Konoha. What had happened out there that turned a well-grounded, intelligent woman into a listless shadow of her usual self? "Sakura," I said gently. "What happened on that mission?"

Perhaps it was the wrong question to ask. Alright, it _was_ the wrong question to ask. But now that it was obvious the mission was the clue, I had to. She stilled completely and slowly turned her head towards me. I had the irrational urge to back away from the fearful glint in her eyes. "I told you, I don't want to talk about it!" she snapped. She turned away abruptly, striding back to the village. "Leave me alone, Sensei. This doesn't concern you."

I let her go. I couldn't do anything for her when she wouldn't even tell me what was going on. Sighing, my eyes turned back to the stream and stared at the brisk water, trying to decide what to do next.

Tsunade-sama had asked me to speak with Sakura to find out what was causing her enough pain that she would completely neglect herself. It had been a month since that fateful mission and no one could miss her deteriorating health. To complicate things, she had refused any mission that would involve killing another person. She still attended to her duties at the hospital but even that was with half-hearted enthusiasm. Rumors abounded that all Sakura did was wander around the village, looking lost, even in the middle of the night.

The Hokage herself had no luck in speaking with her student. In fact, she became so concerned that the Sannin had requested numerous people to talk to Sakura, hoping to discover the reason behind the cloud of melancholy hanging over her and her strange attitude. She even ordered Sakura to undergo a battery of physical tests that checked for any type of genjitsu or ninjitsu just in case there was an alternate cause to her odd behavior. But everything turned out normal (minus her failing health). No one and nothing could break through the barrier the chuunin had erected.

I knew the Godaime had called me in as a last measure, a desperate move that her former Academy teacher might reach her where others had failed. I myself didn't have much confidence in finding out what was going on with her; after all, I rarely had contact with her these days. But Tsunade-sama had been hiding her hope so hard it was transparent and after seeing Sakura again, I knew I would do whatever I could to find out what was going on.

I only hoped I wouldn't let either woman down.

- - - - -

I found Neji in his usual training area, methodically performing (no doubt) every taijutsu form known to man. I took a short moment to step back and admire his precise movements and deadly accuracy. Teaching younger children rarely allowed me to see the end result of years of practice and I had almost forgotten how beautiful it was. My own workouts consisted of near the same thing, but doing it and watching it were two different things.

He, of course, knew I was there, even if his Byakugan wasn't activated. Nevertheless, he took his time finishing the last round of moves and I lingered about patiently, not at all offended by the wait. When Neji finally finished, he grabbed the towel lying on the ground nearby and used it to wipe the sweat off his face before turning his blank eyes towards me.

"You here to inquire about Sakura," he said. It was a statement, not a question.

I nodded unsurprised that Neji already knew why I was here. He had always been one of the most intelligent shinobi I had taught, and years of experience only honed his mind as sharp as a kunai. "I've already read the report, of course," I said, striding closer until I was face-to-face with the young man, "but I wanted to hear what exactly happened from the team leader."

The jounin assumed a rather formal posture with his hands clasped behind him as he spoke. "Our mission was to extricate a Sand prisoner who was being transported to Kusa by several Grass shinobi and kill any witnesses. Upon arrival, we engaged the enemy almost at once. There were two jounin and three chuunin escorts so we divided it accordingly." Neji paused, as if reflecting the moment before continuing. "The enemy was rather skilled but I was confident in my team's abilities. I noted that Sakura was fighting her opponent well enough so I concentrated on my own. Once my battle was over, I scanned the area for anything unusual and realized she was no longer attacking. Her opponent was being helped by another which indicates she fought but did not kill him. They fled but TenTen killed them before they could escape."

I frowned as I mulled the information over. Unfortunately, his oral debriefing matched the written one. "How was Sakura before you engaged the enemy and after you went to her side?"

"Initially, Sakura was fine. She kept up well with the rest of the team and seemed determined to succeed in this mission just as we were. However, after the fight, she was kneeling and crying without regards to the enemy surrounding her."

Neji's voice had not changed an iota, but one could almost taste the disapproval he emitted at her careless actions. I ignored it; now was not the time to be criticizing the battle tactics of an emotionally distraught young woman. Instead, I reconsidered everything I learned thus far.

So the change had occurred during the fight. There had to have been something that happened, something to set her off. But what?

I sighed in disappointment at the lack of ideas before bowing slightly towards the jounin. Neji was quite precise in his reports and no one ever had to ask him if there was anything else he wanted to add. "Thank you, I appreciate your time in speaking with me."

I turned to go but was stopped when Neji spoke again. "Perhaps TenTen can help you. As Sakura was still crying after the enemies were defeated, I thought another woman would be able to help organize her emotions. TenTen might be able to give you insight into her reaction."

I glanced over my shoulder, trying not to show surprise from his words. It was odd to hear Neji offer such a suggestion but I was grateful for it. "Thank you, I will." I took off in search of the weapons mistress.

TenTen proved to be at home, taking care of her equipment. She was cleaning numerous sharp objects with a certain glee that I found rather alarming, despite the fact that I had handed her her first kunai. She didn't seem surprised to see me (I suspected Konoha's gossip mills were in full swing at my current 'mission') and invited me in. She offered tea which I declined. I was rather anxious to get sort this problem out. And I could almost feel a dozen shuriken poking me in the backside as I gingerly sat down on her couch.

"TenTen, I was wondering if Sakura told you anything after the battle with the Grass nin," I began, shifting around gingerly in hopes that I wouldn't be shredding my rear with her weapons which seemed to cover the entire living room area. I even saw some weapons that I had never seen before.

The young woman, seated on the floor, shook her head as she oiled down a jagged-edged knife. "Nothing. If she had, I would have included it in my report. By the way, how is Sakura? When I saw her before I left for a mission a week ago, she was still looking like a malnourished ghost."

"She's not getting better," I said with a small sigh. "That's the reason why I wanted to ask you a few questions. And I didn't mean to imply you were hiding something. But perhaps Sakura said something that you didn't think was pertinent to the mission, yet it may be a clue to her recent behavior."

TenTen shook her head again as she carefully set the knife down and picked up a small, metal ball that sported needle-sharp spikes all over the spherical surface. How she touched it without poking herself full of holes was beyond me. "When I meant she said nothing, she literally said nothing," she said. "All Sakura did was cry and rock herself. In the end, Choji had to pick her up and carry her back to camp."

"So she didn't even realize the mission was over?"

Pausing thoughtfully from rolling the ball back and forth in her hands, TenTen furrowed her brows for a moment. "Well, I think she was aware of her surroundings when I killed the two chuunin that were running away because she looked up and started crying harder after that."

I blinked twice, nonplussed at the odd behavior. "She saw you kill them and cried more?"

TenTen nodded and set the ball down. Leaning back on her hands, she looked up at me. "It wasn't the first time she's seen someone die before, Iruka-sensei. And it's not like she hasn't killed before, either. I just don't get it."

I didn't either – yet. But there was something that was niggling at the back of my mind, a whisper of an idea. To confirm it, I asked, "TenTen, what did the two chuunin look like?"

I could tell my question startled her but she recovered quickly. "Look like? Well, they were both wearing the standard shinobi gear with their hitai-ate." The woman thought for a moment. "Um, one of them had a facial scar on his right cheek. The other one was kind of pale and skinny. Short." She thought for a moment before her eyes brightened. "Oh! And he had a complexion to die for."

I nearly fell over, not expecting such a response. She must have noticed because TenTen said defensively, "Hey, it's not every day you run into someone who has skin as soft as a baby."

I didn't want to know why (not to mention _how_) she knew her enemy's skin was soft.

Back to my idea. The picture was getting to be a little clearer, but I had to gather some more evidence first. "What color was their hair?"

This time the weapons mistress stared at me as if I had told her I was Kyuubi in disguise. She obviously thought her former sensei had lost it. "Um, their hair? Well, the one with the scar had dark blond locks and the other was sort of auburn." She raised her eyes slightly. "Kind of like your color, Sensei."

Frowning, I leaned back on the couch as I considered the facts – only to yelp as something dug into my shoulder blades. Springing up, I turned and glared at the offending object which was half embedded into the cushions.

"Oh, so _that's_ where it went," TenTen said happily. Hopping to her feet with flowing grace, she leaned over and pulled the five-bladed shuriken from the couch stuffing. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei, I was looking for Kito for almost a week!"

She _named_ her shuriken?

And she thought _I_ was crazy.

"Anyway, are you sure she's going to be all right, Sensei? I heard even the Hokage couldn't make Sakura tell her what was wrong." TenTen said, rubbing the sharp-edged weapon lovingly against her cheek much like a cat would to its owner. "And you know refusing Tsunade-sama is well … not good."

I assured her Sakura would be fine soon, mentally cursing the gossipers for spreading more rumors. If any more information leaked out, Sakura's reputation as a skilled shinobi and medic-nin would be ruined permanently.

With that thought in mind, I decided to continue my investigation and excused myself. Luckily, I managed to escape before anymore named weapons introduced themselves to my back.

Luckily, the visit was worth it, even with the sting of the cut Kito had so graciously shared with me. TenTen's words had given me a clue, but I had to confirm it with one last person before I confronted Sakura again. If I was right, then perhaps Tsunade-sama could help Sakura through it.

Emotions were dangerous but not even a shinobi could escape from them entirely.

It actually took me a better part of the hour to find the last person I wanted to speak with. After trying all the places which I assumed were his favorite, I finally tracked him down near the monument, lounging on a tree branch and reading an orange book.

Yuck. I hated to interrupt is 'quality' time with his most prized possession. Who knew what kind of thoughts would be lurking in his head after reading the disgusting thing?

But this was for Sakura. I took a deep breath and called out, "Kakashi-sensei?"

No response.

After patiently waiting a few minutes for him to acknowledge my presence (which he would have known regardless of whether I called his name or not), I scowled. "I know you can hear me. You'd be a terrible shinobi if you were deaf." When that elicited no response, I had to resist the urge to grab a handful of pebbles from the ground and chuck them at the dunderhead.

After he took over the training of Team 7, I had made an effort to get to know Kakashi to see how he would treat Naruto. Of course, we had our disagreements on his teaching methods and judgment (namely the chuunin exams but that's an issue in itself) but in the end, we discovered we were just two overworked teachers who had the unenviable task of taking raw, untrained children and turn them into emotionless, deadly tools to be used. It was over that commonality, as well as having to deal with Naruto's tireless energy, that bonded us. We weren't, by any means, best friends, but I had thought we were closer than mere acquaintances.

And wouldn't that closer relationship come with a measure of respect?

Incensed at being ignored and being made to wait to help Sakura, I picked up five pebbles and hurled them at the jounin.

Unsurprisingly, he caught them all. I felt a flicker of disappointment but at least I had gotten his attention. Peering over his book, he looked down at me. "Maa, Iruka-sensei, what was that for?"

I couldn't help putting my hands on my hips even though I knew I'd look like an angry housewife whose husband forgot to take out the trash again. "You were ignoring me. Don't play innocent, Kakashi-sensei, I know you sensed me two miles away."

"You exaggerate, Iruka-sensei. It was only a mile." He shut his book and hopped down from the tree to face me in his slouching posture, blue eye crinkling in happiness. "Nevertheless, how can I help you?"

Still rather miffed at the jounin, I had to force myself to focus on the task at hand. "I wanted to ask you about Sakura, seeing as you were her former sensei and knew her best."

There was a subtle shift of his position, so slight I almost didn't catch it. "You're mistaken if you think I knew my students at all, Iruka-sensei. After all, I failed them in the end."

I blinked at him. Where had that come from? Kakashi spoke in his usual tone but there was an underlying bitterness that tainted his words. Failed his students? Was he talking about Sasuke's defection and Naruto's subsequent departure from Konoha? Surely he couldn't blame himself for any of those events.

Argh, not another person who needed emotional help!

With a mental sigh, I promised myself later to ask him what he meant, but Sakura was the more immediate concern at the moment. "You may think so, Kakashi-sensei, but I wouldn't go to anyone else for information on Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. Besides, you are a trained observer and I have no doubt you can answer my question."

His visible eye opened and stared at me for a long moment. I met his gaze without flinching. Finally, he said, "What do you need to know?"

"Sakura. What is her greatest fear?"

I nearly held my breath, waiting for confirmation or rejection of my hypothesis. I really didn't doubt Kakashi knew the answer. Having watched her grow into the mature medic she is now, I knew the Copy-nin's influence had rubbed off her in some ways that reflected a close relationship with her teammates and mentor.

"Her greatest fear? You ask odd questions sometimes, Iruka-sensei."

My face fell and I scowled at him. "Stop avoiding the answer and tell me already!"

Kakashi raised his eyebrow, probably at my display of childish impatience. Well, _I_ thought it was justified. "Her greatest fear is losing the ones closest to her, of course."

He knew where I was headed with this. I could almost see his genius mind at work. He had heard of my mission and suddenly realized exactly what I had an hour ago. But I still needed further proof. "And the ones she considers closest to her?"

This time, there was no pause in answering me. "Her former teammates. Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke."

Confirmation received. The mystery was solved.

Now was the hard part: confronting Sakura with the truth.

Instead of being elated, the sheer emotional drain left me feeling entirely exhausted. I wanted to slump down on the ground and sleep but I knew I couldn't. I didn't think I could go through such a difficult discussion but the sooner Sakura admitted to her fears, the sooner she could begin to heal. I had to do it for her sake.

I bowed to the masked shinobi. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. If you'll please excuse me, there's something I need to do."

He said nothing so I turned to go. But as I took to the trees to return to the village, I heard a faint, "Good luck," reach my ears.

Good luck indeed. It was going to take more than luck to get through this intact.

By this time, my stomach was growling so I stopped by for a quick bite to eat at the Ichiraku stand. I didn't go as often as I used to, seeing Naruto was off training with Jiraiya-sama, but I needed something fast and ramen had always been comfort food to me.

To my surprise, I found Sakura there, sitting in the stool Naruto usually sat in, staring at the bowl of miso ramen. It looked untouched and I exchanged concerns with the stand owner before slipping into the seat to her right.

Ordering a large pork ramen, I slanted a sideways glance at Sakura. Her arms were on the counter so she was hunched forward as if she was cold, face hovering over the food to inhale the aroma. There was no steam rising from the bowl which indicated she had been here a while. She had probably come right after our conversation on the bridge.

The last thing I needed (or wanted) to do was to make things more awkward. So I said lightly, "I didn't know you liked ramen. I would have taken you out to dinner had I known."

To my surprise, Sakura answered though she sounded rather tired. "I don't. It just reminds me of … someone." After a long pause, she added, "It's too salty and unhealthy. And the flavors are weird." She then shot me a glance as if realizing who she was talking to. "Um, but it's good otherwise!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at her flustered expression. "It's all right. Just because I like ramen doesn't mean I expect everyone to like it, unlike Naruto. I know once he becomes Hokage, he's going to make it a mandatory meal for everyone."

"That would be just like him," Sakura agreed. For a moment I could see a glimpse of her old self in the spark of her green eyes but it faded as quickly as it had appeared. She fell silent again and I turned back to receive my bowl. I glanced at her briefly before picking up a pair of chopsticks to eat. Since she seemed in a much more talkative frame of mind, I decided to allow her to choose when she wanted to speak.

My patience paid off. Half-way into my meal, she suddenly asked me, "Are you that confident Naruto is going to become Hokage?"

I was in mid-noodle slurp when she asked me so I bit off the long strand and chewed as quickly as I could. "So confident I'd open up my ramen shop and make a good profit at the decree ramen must be eaten at least once a day by everyone."

Sakura cracked a small smile at that, which was an encouraging sign. "I could be the waitress while you made the noodles," she offered.

"How could I refuse the offer of such a pretty young woman?" I said with a smile. "We'll be the most popular stand around!"

She smiled again but it slowly faded and we lapsed back into silence. I finished my bowl and glanced at my companion. Sakura was now fiddling with a pair of chopsticks but made no move to leave. Well, if she wasn't, I wasn't going to, either. I ordered green tea for the both of us.

"What about Sasuke?" she asked next.

I leveled a solemn look at her. "What about Sasuke?"

Sakura didn't meet my gaze and twirled the utensils between her fingers nervously. "Do you … do you think he'll return?" she asked in a near whisper.

I leaned closer to her slightly. "I think Naruto will do everything in his power to fulfill his promise to you."

That statement caused her to lift her head and send me a reproving look. "That really didn't answer my question, Sensei."

A wry smile lifted up the corners of my lips. She was far too intelligent for her own good, sometimes. "You're right, it doesn't. Yes, I think Sasuke will return to Konoha some day."

The moving chopsticks stilled to a halt and she slowly turned her head to look at me. "But you either don't think it will be voluntary or alive," she guessed, topaz orbs searching mine.

I couldn't lie to her so I chose not to answer. "What are you afraid of, Sakura?" I asked gently.

Her gaze fell to the countertop. "I'm not afraid, exactly. But at that mission, I saw them."

I nodded even though she couldn't see me. "Naruto and Sasuke."

Her head shot up and she stared at me. "How did you know?"

I waved a hand in dismissal, about to use the age-old teacher's excuse of 'I'm your sensei, I know everything'. But then I realized it would be better to tell her the truth. She wasn't a child to be protected any longer; she was a grown adult in the eyes of the village and a talented medic-nin with a bright future ahead of her. "It was the anniversary of Sasuke's leaving and Naruto distancing himself. Of course they were on your mind. You saw your old teammates in the chuunin you were fighting, which triggered your unease about their absence."

"Yes, but it was more than that," Sakura whispered. "I couldn't … I couldn't …" Her eyes began to fill with tears so quickly they spilled over onto her wan cheeks. "I was going to kill one but then the other suddenly showed up and stopped me by throwing dirt into my eyes. Once I was able to see again, he was helping his friend." Her voice choked but she swallowed back a sob. "It was like Sasuke helping Naruto. I don't know if it was because my vision was blurred but they looked like them and I remembered it happening exactly like that and …" She finally broke down into tears, crying in her hands.

I reached over to hug Sakura, knowing she needed the contact. She turned instantly and sobbed into my flak jacket, her too-thin frame racking with the force of her tears. It was uncomfortable to be leaning this way and holding her, but I didn't dare let go. She had to cry for her lost teammates so I let her.

- - - - -

Once she regained control of her emotions, I paid the bill for the both of us and we took a walk. Somehow we ended up back at the bridge, leaning against the rails and watching the busy stream wander by us.

The day was just beginning to end, the horizon flooded with red, orange and yellow that spilled over to the rest of the sky. I sighed in exhaustion, realizing I had spent half the day running around, only to wind up back where I started. But the feeling was different this time. Sakura's eyes were a little clearer and her posture was straight again. Thank goodness. For a moment I had thought she was taking after Kakashi a little _too_ well.

"You and the others think I'm crazy," Sakura said suddenly. Her arms were folded neatly on the railing as her topaz eyes lingered over the water.

I shook my head. "No."

She shot me an exasperated look. "The enemy chuunin didn't look anything like Naruto or Sasuke but I freaked out because I was imaging them as my old teammates. I almost got myself killed and put my team in danger because of my overactive imagination." She shook her head and sighed. "Neji-san must think I'm absolutely useless."

"I can tell you for a fact he does not. He was concerned. So was TenTen. And Kakashi-sensei and Tsunade-sama." When she didn't look convinced, I added, "Sakura, no one expects you to be completely okay with your friends being gone. What makes it worse is that they're not dead but still alive and out there and not by your side where they belong. I know you've bottled everything up inside since it happened but doing that will only make the feelings worsen. You're a strong shinobi and Konoha needs you to do your best." I put a hand on her shoulder. "That is your duty."

"Iruka-sensei, if it comes down to it, I don't think I can kill Sasuke," Sakura whispered. "And it's not because I had a crush on him either or anything. He's my – he _was_ my teammate." The aching sadness in her voice was almost too hard to listen to. "Every time I go out on a mission, there's a possibility that I'll see him again. And if I do run into him, what then? My duty requires that I bring him back, dead or alive."

"It is the hope of every shinobi that we will not be confronted by former friends or even family members," I said slowly. The scar on my back twitched in reminder of Mizuki's betrayal to me and to Konoha. "But should that day ever come for you, Sakura, know that I know you'll do the right thing. Someone like your team leader might be there to tell you what to do but in the end, it is your decision and yours alone."

"So I have to choose between loyalty to my teammate and loyalty to my village?" Her voice was bitter and I did not blame her. It was a hard lesson to grasp.

"Exactly."

Sakura slanted me an assessing gaze at my prompt response while considering my words. "I don't remember you ever being this blunt, Sensei," she said finally.

I smiled at her. "You weren't an adult back then, Sakura." Legally she was. But all shinobi had to endure emotional trials that would either strengthen them or break them. And if I knew my former student, I knew she would survive this. Even if her teammates were gone, she would still have her other friends to support her through the coming difficult times.

I stretched my arms out and stifled a huge yawn. I would have to report to the Hokage and debrief her on the result of the discussion soon. I had done all I could do, what anyone could do, really. It was now up to Sakura to work this out on her own. I wasn't overly worried; she was smart enough to figure out what to do in the end.

My arms dropped to my side and I looked at Sakura again. "Come on, let's get you some dinner. We can't have you keeling over in the middle of missions, now can we?" It was a subtle hint to start taking care of herself again. To become shinobi again.

With the same bemused expression on her face, Sakura finally nodded in understanding. A small step in the right direction. We strolled back to the village as she asked, "Is that all you're going to say to me?"

"Yes. Unless you prefer another lecture in which case I'm sure Gai-sensei would be happy to oblige," I said dryly.

A look of panic crossed her eyes for a brief moment, sparking her gaunt features back to life. "Sensei! That was mean!"

I laughed and tapped her head lightly where the hitai-ate should have been. It would serve as a reminder where her loyalties should lie, no matter how confusing the situation. "All right, let's skip the lecture and go for dinner."

Sakura slanted me a quick glance. "Ramen and onigiri?" she asked.

Naruto's and Sasuke's favorite food. She had begun the journey back to being a shinobi of Konoha, but this was her way of telling me that she would never forget her teammates.

And I was glad.

* * *

_AN: Is it just me or is it getting harder to spot the loyalty theme in the stories? Meh, oh well._


	4. Broken Loyalty

_Disclaimer: Naruto is copyrighted by their respective owners, of which I am not one._

_

* * *

_Warnings: Language, Spoilers up to anime episode 141. Unbeta-ed. AR, slight character OOC

Summary: I watched him, the little boy turned grown-up shinobi who couldn't understand why anyone would willingly betray their home. In a way, I was glad he couldn't understand. It was proof that his own loyalty would never be broken.

* * *

"Why did you do it?" 

I glanced up, alerted by the question even as I carefully hid my wince. Of course it was Konohamaru asking. Or perhaps _demanding_ was a better term. The expression on his face was a mixture of anger and disbelief. As if he had been personally wronged and was now seeking answers.

The snappish question was directed to our prisoner, positioned slightly away from the fire we had made when we decided to camp for the night. She was seated with her legs tucked underneath her body, the flames reflecting a sullen expression and dull brown eyes. Her clothes were smudged with dirt and splatters of blood, torn at the elbows, and reeked like dirty socks that had been boiled in a vat of vinegar before being air-dried. Her hands were clasped together in the front, cuffed with a chakra absorbing jutsu; if she even so much as activated her chakra, the metal bracelet would automatically activate and suck the energy from her. The cuffs were chained to the tree she was leaning against so she couldn't run. A handy gift given to us before we left on this mission.

The mission itself wasn't too difficult: retrieve a missing-nin of Konoha and the registration forms of the most current batch of Academy graduates she had taken. Those forms held all the information on the newest genins, categorizing their weakness and strengths, listing the jutsus they learned, and rating them based on their statistics of strength, dexterity, chakra level, and chakra control. It also ranked them on their genjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu abilities. If the forms were delivered to our enemies, they would be able to use the information against the future generation of Konoha shinobi in the years to come.

Apparently, she had been heading towards Rain when we caught up to her. She was a low-level chuunin who had worked at the Academy so this was classified as a B-level. Konohamaru, having recently been promoted from genin, demanded to take this mission as he had known the kunoichi from the Academy.

One Nakasaka Emiko, once a bright flame for the future of Konoha, now a missing-nin.

It was sad.

Beside me, Hyuuga Hanabi stirred and shot a glare at Konohamaru. "Why are you asking her such ridiculous questions? What does it matter why so long as she did it and will be punished for it?"

Konohamaru returned the glare, apparently unfazed by the famed Hyuuga look. Brave (or foolish?) of him. "Why do _you_ care what I ask so long as she is caught and punished?" he sniped back.

I had to stifle a sigh as they geared up for argument number nine. The old hag had done this to me on purpose, I just knew it. Not only did she assign me (only available jounin at the moment my foot! I know I saw Kakashi lounging on the bookstore roof giggling over his stupid porn novels) to watch over the two chuunin for their very first mission together, but she had to assign _Konohamaru_ and a _Hyuuga_. Yes, I said that right. Konohamaru and Hanabi. Yin and Yang. Oil and Water. Honey and Toast.

Actually, I heard honey and toast went well together. Never mind.

Anyway! The whole point was it just wasn't done! Everyone knew that! Even Iruka-sensei had given me a pitying look (!) when I bumped into him outside the Ichiraku stand for one final meal before I left. In all his years of him watching over me, even when I was a pesky Academy student in his class, he had never pitied me before. It horrified me to no end – after all, if Iruka-sensei, the embodiment of patience, felt sorry for me, it had to be bad. I even thought I saw sympathy reflecting off Shino's dark glasses when I passed by him on the way to the front gate to meet my team. _It just wasn't done._

But it had been and now I had to bear the consequence of it all. The start of the mission hadn't been so bad; we were almost a full day behind Emiko and had to race to catch up with her before she reached Rain Country. The speed which we employed wasn't really conducive to talking except in brief, short bursts to communicate new information to one another. Believe me, I know. I've tried it.

Yes, even the great Uzumaki Naruto has his limitations. There aren't many, but they were there.

In any case, I had to cut in before this conversation turned out to be a full-blown battle complete with shuriken (_without_ the desire to miss the target) and jutsus (_without_ the unspoken agreement not to overdo it).

Plus, we were being watched. Someone obviously wanted those registration forms badly.

Of course, I didn't tell the chuunin this. I was merely along to watch and see how they performed in their first mission together. And should anything untoward happen, step in and rescue their arses. And tease Konohamaru about it later. For the rest of his life. In front of his kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Hey, he'd do the same to me. Honest. I rubbed off on the kid in more ways than one.

In any case, I raised my hand to garner their attention. They saw the gesture and fell into a silent glaring contest. I dropped my arm, pleased to see they were so obedient. One point for their respective jounin sensei.

I went back to staring at the fire, the hairs on my neck prickling even further as I sensed another two pairs of eyes watching us from the trees. There were now six of them, which still shouldn't be too much of a problem for two chuunin and one exceptionally trained and handsome jounin. I waited for my team – either of them – to notice we had visitors.

It didn't happen. Konohamaru finished the staring contest with Hanabi (I don't know who won and I'd rather be licked by Orochimaru than ask since it would probably start another argument on who triumphed over the other) and swung his attention back to our prisoner, who had ignored our conversation throughout her capture. He glared at her but Emiko ignored him. He glared harder. Hanabi would probably have rolled her eyes if she had eyeballs to roll.

I lifted my head slightly, watching the flames capture Konohamaru's dark hair and eyes, lighting up his features. The years had been good to the kid judged the second-loudest ninja in Konoha. He was now almost as tall as I was, hair cropped short and close to his head. The sensible style only revealed the strong, full features of his face. Sometimes it was painful to look at him because I could absolutely see Old Man Hokage in him. He had the same facial structure and pronounced jaw, the same lilted smile and twinkling eyes. The intelligence and strength were also there, though still not fully developed.

I had to smile to myself; in a few years, Konohamaru might give me a good race for the title of Rokudaime.

Hanabi wordlessly offered another food bar to Emiko who refused with a disdainful sniff. Konohamaru had suggested we not bother to give her food at all (though forcing her to eat one could also be considered a punishment; those ration bars tasted rather nasty) but the Hyuuga pointed out logically that she would need to keep her strength up on the journey home. We were only a day and a half away from Konoha, but we were all eager to return as quickly as possible.

Well, everyone except Emiko, that is.

I kept waiting for someone to mention the six people surrounding us, but they didn't. Hanabi hadn't activated her Byakugan since we had caught up with the missing-nin and Konohamaru was too busy trying to get a word out from our prisoner. I sighed, wondering if I should say anything at all. But really, weren't chuunin supposed to notice these things?

At any rate, I quietly formed a few hand seals without their notice (minus one point – sheesh, what were shinobi taught these days?) as a backup. Just in case.

"So why did you betray us?" Konohamaru demanded yet again. "How could you turn your back against your own people and home?"

Emiko, predictably, didn't answer. I winced at the question again. No one noticed.

Well, this was ridiculous. I reminded myself to pull pranks on Hanabi and Konohamaru until they began to be aware of their surroundings. That would force them to pay attention if they didn't want to be egged, creamed, trapped, or otherwise embarrassed.

Okay, maybe not on Hanabi. The Hyuugas would have my head. _Neji_ would have my head. I'm mischievous, not suicidal.

But Konohamaru was still fair game. Hehehe.

"Stop asking that question," Hanabi snapped, her voice edgy. "It's a ridiculous one and she won't answer. Just go to sle-" She stopped suddenly and glanced around swiftly, Byakugan activating smoothly. I had to restrain the urge to jump up and dance for joy. Finally!

Well, I had to move a moment later anyway. A shower of senbon rained down upon us, courtesy of the rain nin. While Hanabi leapt away and pulled out a kunai, I dove towards Konohamaru. Hitting him hard, we both fell on the ground and I rolled us out of the way.

"Ow! Get off, Nii-chan, you're heavy!" was the first thing I heard Konohamaru say. Rolling my eyes, I hopped up to my feet and glanced at Hanabi. She was already crouched in front of Emiko, weapon ready to protect the prisoner. She scanned the area briefly before calling out.

"Show yourself! You can't hide from me."

After a long stretch of silence, a single nin dropped down in front of her, hands spread to show he had no weapons. He was surprisingly short but stocky, dressed in standard shinobi uniform. A dirty bandage was wrapped around his head like a makeshift turban so that only a few tendrils of dark hair peeped from under the cloth. Over the cloth and on his forehead was a slanted hitai-ate that was probably supposed to make him look cool or something. "A bloodline limit. How lucky for us," he drawled. I tensed slightly, alert at his confident appearance and the strong flow of chakra I sensed. He was definitely a jounin.

Konohamaru cursed and climbed up to his feet, rubbing his shoulder. "How many are there?" he asked his partner tersely. I remained silent to see what the chuunin would do next.

"There are six of us," the Rain nin said for Hanabi. "All we want is the girl and registration forms. Care to trade? You'll live in exchange for what we want. It seems fair, don't you think?"

"Sorry, we don't bargain," Konohamaru said. "I suggest you leave before you regret it."

The Rain nin snorted in derision. "We've been watching you for the past hour and just now you noticed – after one of us shook a branch apart. With that sort of incompetence, it's amazing you're not dead yet."

That caught Hanabi and Konohamaru off guard. They turned and glared at me. I blinked at the sheer venom in their eyes and spread my hands apart in placation. "What? I'm just here to watch you two, not do your job." I then folded my arms across my chest and gave them a pointed look. "He's right, you know," I said, jerking my head in the direction of the Rain nin. "You two should have noticed his little groupie a while ago. Didn't your sensei teach you to look underneath the underneath?"

Turban Head glanced at me appraisingly. "You're babysitting, too?"

I nodded and heaved a long-suffering sigh. "Were we ever so young and inexperienced?"

"Perhaps a long time ago," the Rain nin conceded. "But I would think by now they would be better prepared in the ways of the world. Just yesterday, one of my charges fell into a trap – _that she set herself_!"

I heard a faint groan and someone from the trees hiss, "Sensei! You promised you'd never mention that again!"

I grinned and gestured at Konohamaru. "_He_ thought that since he's now a chuunin, they would be allowed to sleep at inns when he's out on a mission."

"Naruto Nii-chan!" said chuunin half shrieked.

Turban Head and I just laughed and shook our heads at their foolishness. Kids these days.

"Hayashi-san, if you're done making nice with the enemy, maybe you can get me out of these chains?" a dry voice asked. We turned our heads and looked at Emiko, who had managed to struggle to her feet. She was still bound to the tree and gave a half-hearted attempt at breaking loose from the chakra-absorbing cuffs to emphasize her point.

"Ah, right, Nakasaka-san." Hayashi turned and bowed at me. "Forgive me, but we have a mission to do."

I nodded. "As do we." Understanding passed between us in one of those bizarre moments of connection. We both readied ourselves for a battle.

A split second later, another hail of senbon came raining down on us. As close as we were to one another, we had to dive out of the way. All except Hanabi, who stood her ground and blocked most of them with her kunai. The few that made it past her guard lodged in her right arm and upper thigh.

"Baka! What are you doing?" Konohamaru called from the safety of his position a few feet away. "They're not going to kill their own ally!"

"If any of them get near her, they can find a way to release the cuffs, stupid," Hanabi snarled back. Two nins dropped in front of her as she spoke and she grinned ferally at them. I could tell she was all too willing to introduce them to her jyuken technique. As I suspected, Hanabi threw the kunai to free her hands in preparation for the attack. The weapon sped past me and struck a moving target that was behind me just as I began battling the Rain jounin.

Of course I knew he was there. I was just waiting until he got closer. Really.

"Stay alert, everyone, the girl has a bloodline limit," my opponent called out even as he dodged my scissor kick to the head.

We were both keeping one eye out for our charges and not really paying much attention to our own fight. It was more like a 'our-team-is-fighting-so-I-guess-we-should-too' type battle. Plus, it made sure we were too busy with each other to help the chuunins running amok. Though they outnumbered us two to one, I was quite confident in my teams' abilities to take care of themselves.

Of course, no sooner did I convince myself with that thought did Konohamaru prove me wrong. He leapt into the air in a high jump and dropped into the middle of the battleground with that toothy, cocky grin of his. "Don't worry, Hyuuga, I've got your back," he said breezily, engaging in a fight with the two remaining nin.

"Konohamaru! Don't be so reckless!" I called out, obligingly dodging a water jutsu thrown in my direction. I almost froze when I realized what I had just said.

Wait a minute. Did I actually warn someone not to be reckless?

If Kakashi-sensei or Iruka-sensei – hell, if Sakura-chan ever found out, I'd never be able to live it down.

Resolving to swear Konohamaru to secrecy later, I glanced briefly at Hanabi. Despite the senbon needles still stuck in her body, she seemed to be handling herself well. She was using the famed Gentle Fist technique and pretty much kicking butt with her opponents. Somehow, Konohamaru had maneuvered himself to stand near Hanabi and he wasn't doing so bad himself. But as I blocked a punch-kick-punch-elbow combination, I noticed that he had been forced back unusually close to Emiko, still chained to the tree.

Far too close.

But before I could call out a warning to him, Emiko lunged forward. Sliding a hand into his weapons holster, she managed to grab a kunai and immediately yanked it out of the pouch to snap under Konohamaru's chin.

"Don't move or the dimwit gets a new food hole," she snarled.

Everyone froze for a long moment as the situation was assessed. I slowly lowered my fists and straightened up, watching Emiko intently. Hanabi, who was much closer than I, turned to watch them with her blank eyes, also giving up the fight without protest.

I could see Konohamaru's expression of anger and guilt at himself. "I'm sorry, Naruto-nii-chan," he said. He avoided looking at his partner before mumbling, "I'm sorry, Hanabi-chan."

"It's all right, Konohamaru," I said while Hayashi walked over to the still couple.

"Good job, Nakasaka-san. We'll get you out in a minute."

The grip on the kunai tightened as Emiko dug the blade in a little deeper into the skin as if it was a reflex to Turban Head's nearness. I could see a trail of crimson slivering down Konohamaru's throat. "The girl put the cuff on me. She can take it off with her chakra," she informed the Rain jounin tersely.

Hayashi nodded and looked over at Hanabi. "Take it off of her, please. And don't try to rescue your friend, you won't succeed. We'll be watching you."

Hanabi glanced at me and I nodded. She stepped forward and put a hand on the metal bracelets on Emiko's wrist, concentrating her chakra on it. A few seconds later, there was a clicking noise and the cuffs fell to the ground, releasing our prisoner from her bonds.

Emiko made a satisfied noise. "Finally. If I had to listen to this dimwit whine anymore I was ready to slit my own throat."

"A pity you didn't," I thought I heard Hanabi murmur as she moved back a step. But no one else reacted so maybe I imagined it.

"So, what now?" I asked the Rain jounin. I was still too far away to help Konohamaru and the five shinobi were arranged around us. Emiko was too experienced to let her guard down and the kunai against the throat had never wavered even as she was released from her bindings. There was nothing I could do but wait for an opportunity to strike.

Hayashi shrugged. "We'll kill you and get the registration forms. We go home."

The words were so nonchalant it should have bothered me, but I had been a ninja too long to be affected by them. Besides, the situation could have easily been reversed.

However, Konohamaru had no intention of acquiescing to his fate. "What? Are you going to take her with you?" he demanded, jerking his head back slightly to indicate Emiko. The movement caused the kunai to press in deeper and more crimson trails race down to disappear into his shirt.

"Stay still, idiot," I snapped, relieved Emiko wasn't so jumpy she would have slit his throat at the careless motion.

Konohamaru ignored me, staring at the Rain jounin intently instead. "Well?" he said. "Do you realize that she betrayed Konoha, her home? What's to keep her from betraying you in the end, too?"

Hayashi considered the chuunin for a long moment before shrugging. "I don't know. But she would know better than that. Don't you, Nakasaka-san?"

"Of course, Hayashi-san. I only want what was promised to me," she said smoothly.

I could tell Konohamaru wanted to stomp his feet in frustration. Growing up with the kid dogging after my every step had taught me how to read him like a book. "But what did that bastard promise you that you'd break your loyalty to your own home and people?" he demanded. "What could possibly be better than those things?"

Emiko smirked though Konohamaru could hardly see it from his position. "Wouldn't you like to know, dimwit?" she said silkily.

"Enough of this. Ochika, get the registration forms. Probably among the jounin's things there," Hayashi ordered. "Toro and Furo, tie him and the girl of them up." He glanced at me, a brief look of apology crossing his eyes. "Please cooperate and we'll make your deaths as painless as we can make it."

I caught Hanabi's eye and shook my head slightly to indicate she shouldn't try any heroics. With Konohamaru still under Emiko's control, it was safer to play it out.

Of course, waiting any longer would kill us, too, but I would be damned before I'd let Konohamaru die. At least not without me going first.

Once the registration forms were secured by the Rain kunoichi, Hanabi and I were relieved of our weapons (believe me, being searched by inexperienced shinobi was _not_ fun – they were poking in places I didn't even know existed) before being tied back to back with one another. I tested the rope gingerly with my chakra and winced as it squeezed around us. I felt Hanabi flinch and realized it was imbued with a ninjutsu that cinched the rope tighter in response to any chakra used on it. There was a smirk on one of the Rain shinobi's face (it was either Toro or Furo, I couldn't tell) as he saw my reaction to it. With no other option left, we were forced to sit near our abandoned campfire as Hayashi turned to Emiko and Konohamaru.

"You did well, Nakasaka-san," Turban Head said approvingly. "However …" He lunged forward in a movement so quick I could barely follow it with my eyes. "The dimwit, as you so fondly called him, is right. There is no way we could trust you. After all, we shinobi are rather paranoid when it comes to loyalty."

There was a choked gasp and I craned my neck, realizing Emiko had been stabbed on the right side of her stomach with a kunai. Hayashi calmly lifted her hand away from Konohamaru's neck and kicked the chuunin aside, causing him to stumble away. Twisting Emiko's wrist until she dropped the weapon, he stepped back and studied her for a long moment before shaking his head. "And besides, Nakasaka-san, you are too, too weak. Konoha was right in denying you a higher rank. What would Rain do with such a pitiful kunoichi?"

Emiko glared at Hayashi's betrayal, collapsing to her knees as her hands went around the weapon poking from her stomach. "Bastard," she rasped out. "You never intended to take me with you, did you?"

Turban Head shrugged, unconcerned. "Those were my orders." For a brief moment, I almost felt pity for Emiko.

Almost. After all, the Rain-nin was right. Betray once and you'll betray again. They couldn't be trusted anymore. I had learned that lesson myself, the hard way.

Konohamaru, I noticed, had frozen the moment he was freed, uncertain of what was going on. When he finally turned and noticed what happened to Emiko, he hissed and turned his murderous gaze upon the Rain jounin.

"Konohamaru, no!" I said sharply. I had to stop the idiot before he decided to be brave and rescue everyone, thereby ensuring his death. "Stand still – and that is an order!"

He glanced at me and I glared to show how serious I was. The rest of the Rain shinobi weren't shy in showing him their weapons and he reluctantly stood down.

"Very nice," Hayashi said approvingly. "He has hope yet. Well, Naruto, was it? It was a pleasure but my team and I will be going now. Thank you kindly for the registration forms. Because our mission indicated only retrieving the papers, I will let you three live. After all, your team seems to be strong." He smiled at the Konoha chuunin, as if they should be pleased by the compliment. "As for Nakasaka-san, she'll die within a few hours without prompt medical attention so I suggest you make her comfortable instead of trying to save her life." He studied me for a moment. "I'd be interested in fighting you for real some day. Perhaps we'll meet again."

"Perhaps," I said noncommittally.

After one last bow, Hayashi ordered two of his shinobi to pick up their dead comrade, courtesy of Hanabi; gathering the remaining nin, they vanished into the trees as silently as they had appeared.

The instant they left, Konohamaru leapt forward and freed us from the rope.

No, actually, he leapt forward towards Emiko and inspected her wound. The brat. I made a mental note to teach him about priorities the moment we returned to Konoha.

"He's right, the wound is fatal," Konohamaru said. "And it must hurt."

"It does. Would you like me to show you?" Emiko rasped.

The chuunin glared at her. "Hey, I'm trying to help, it's not my fault you went all crazy and left Konoha. This all happened because of _you_!"

"Shut up, dimwit. The last thing I want to hear before I die is your nasally voice whining," the kunoichi snapped.

"What you could do is free us from this rope, stupid," Hanabi added, tugging uselessly at the tight bonds.

Konohamaru glared at his partner but stood up, heading over to us. Pulling a kunai from his weapons holster, he set about to saw the rope apart. "Ungrateful women," I heard him mutter.

If Sakura-chan had heard that, he would be soooo dead.

While Hanabi and Konohamaru were busy glaring at each other, I looked over at Emiko. Her hand was inching forward to the kunai she had been forced to drop earlier. "Konohamaru!" I shouted.

He snapped his head around just as Emiko grasped the weapon and hefted it in her hand. "Dammit," he growled, turning his body to protect us in case she felt the need to hurl the kunai in our direction.

"You asked me a question, dimwit," Emiko said, her voice catching as her wound bubbled and bled around the entry point. "You asked me why I betrayed Konoha. Do you want to know the reason? The real reason?"

Konohamaru was staring at the kunai but he nodded his head. "Yeah, I do."

Emiko tried to smirk but it was hard when a sharp metal object was poking out from you and causing who knows how much pain. "I did it, dimwit, because no one appreciated what I did for them. I worked hard all my life to give the Hokage my everything. I gave up my time and strength and money – yes, even my money! – to do her bidding. But after six years of loyal service, what am I told? I'm not qualified to be a jounin. I still need to work on my skills and try harder." I noticed her grip on the kunai tightening until her knuckles turned white. "Harder! After I've given my all, they told me I wasn't good enough?" Despite the weakning voice, it was still obvious she was feeling pissed about the whole situation.

I knew how she felt. I had been there, at one time.

"_Not … good … enough!_ Do you know what it feels like to be told I'm not good enough?"

"Yes," Konohamaru said bluntly.

That answer apparently surprised Emiko but she quickly recovered. "How would you know, dimwit?" she sneered. "You're Sandaime's grandson. You've got it easy."

"Wrong," the chuunin said flatly. "I _didn't_ get it easy at all. In fact, I had to try harder than everyone because I had to live up to the legendary Third. Every time I failed, people always asked 'But how could you get it wrong? The Sandaime must have been very disappointed in you.' They never saw me. They saw my grandfather."

I noticed Hanabi was staring at Konohamaru, looking as startled as a Hyuuga could look without losing their cool poise. It was obviously something she hadn't considered before. I wondered if that would change her mind about her partner.

Emiko, too, was rather surprised at his vehement response. But after a moment she shook her head. "You still don't get it. But then again, I don't expect a moron like you to."

"I get it all right. You've betrayed your friends, your family, your comrades, your home just because you didn't make jounin level," Konohamaru said quietly. "That makes you even more pitiful."

A flare of hate lit Emiko's eyes for a moment. "You'll know what I'm talking about someday, dimwit," she hissed. "And when you do, know that I'll be laughing at you in hell." And before we could even blink, she plunged the kunai into her throat.

Konohamaru started as Emiko gurgled in pain, hands scrabbling at the knife as if suddenly regretting her action. But it was too late. A moment later, she fell over on one side, dead.

Silence fell for a long moment. Konohamaru stared at the body for what seemed like forever until I softly called his name to get his attention. He blinked twice to fight back the haze clouding his mind and I could see the pained, confused expression in his eyes.

"Dammit, the mission was a complete failure," Hanabi fumed as her partner finally turned away and resumed sawing at the rope.

I sighed. "Not quite. After all, we're still alive and we have the registration forms back. All in all, it could have been worse."

As the ropes fell away, both chuunin stared at me as if I had told them I was the god of death in disguise. "Um, Uzumaki-san, the Rain nin took the papers, remember?" Hanabi said bluntly. No doubt she was wondering if I had finally lost it.

I smiled wryly. "Actually, they took a bunch of my field notes. I switched them with the registration forms before they attacked." I stood up and took a quick inventory on my team while they stared at me, open-mouthed. Except for Hanabi's senbon wounds (which were still in her – damn, was the girl a masochist or something?), we were all in pretty good shape. Good enough to make excellent time back home.

"But … how … when?" Hanabi stuttered. "I didn't see you cast a jutsu at all!"

I smiled lazily at her as I removed the registration forms from inside my shirt. "That's why, my dear, you're still a chuunin and I am a jounin."

Konohamaru got over his amazement fast enough. Dismissing the matter entirely (he could have at least _acted_ impressed!), he glanced over his shoulder at the dead body. "What do we do about her, Naruto Nii-chan?" he asked quietly.

I sighed, knowing I'd have to talk to him about what happened today. "We'll inform the ANBU who will get a hunter-nin and take care of it all. Don't worry about it, Konohamaru. Let's just go home and get these papers back where the belong."

- - - - -

"I still don't understand."

I strode up next to Konohamaru who was staring at the Hero's Stone so intently I was half afraid it was going to crack under the pressure. His hand traced over the same name again and again, displaying his agitation. "Don't understand what?" I asked although I had a sneaking suspicion I knew exactly what.

Konohamaru heaved a sigh as his hand finally dropped away from the worn stone. "I don't understand why anyone would be willing to betray their home and people just because they were passed over for a promotion. Doesn't it just mean they need to work harder so next time they won't be denied?"

"Most people, Konohamaru, don't have the same idea as you. People like Emiko, they don't understand the true meaning of hard work. We worked hard to get where we're at but there are those who think that they deserve it just because. And when they don't get what they want, they become bitter and angry. That'll lead them to do things like betray their home."

Konohamaru glanced at me, obviously surprised at my words. "I've ... never heard of you speak like that before."

I nodded and looked over all the names etched on the polished marble. "Yeah. It's been on my mind for a long time. Even before I was in the Academy." _But more so after Sasuke_, I added silently to myself.

The chuunin continued watching me though I didn't look at him. "It's cause the villagers treated you badly, isn't it?" he said finally. "That's why you worked so hard."

I shrugged, feeling distinctly uncomfortable about talking like this to Konohamaru. "I wanted to prove that they can't keep me down. Any kind of rejection will just make me work harder. But Emiko didn't have such drive. She wanted the easy way."

Konohamaru turned his attention back to his grandfather's name. "Just like I did, back when I was just a kid, I guess." He then shook his head. "But I still don't understand how someone could just take back their loyalty from one place and give it to another so easily," he murmured.

I put a hand on his head, just like I used to when he was younger. Surprisingly, he didn't push me aside like he would have done when years ago. "You know, Konohamaru, you may never understand it. But it's okay. We both love Konoha and we'll do our best to keep it safe." I ruffled his hair and this time, he did shove my hand away, slicking his mussed head back to its normal style. "I guess that's all we need to know."

Konohamaru glanced at me again, dark eyes still mirroring his confusion but willing to accept the situation for what it was. "Naruto Nii-chan, when did you get to be so smart?"

I gave him my fox grin, relieved he was willing to change the subject. "I've always been this smart. You were just too stupid to realize it. And stop calling me 'Nii-chan' you should practice calling me 'Hokage-sama'."

"Hah! In your dreams! I'm going to be the Rokudaime and nothing will stop me!" the chuunin exclaimed loudly. Good humor restored, he dashed away, calling, "Come on, Nii-chan, you can buy me some ramen while we talk about why I'd be the better Hokage!"

I watched him scamper off, the little boy turned grown-up shinobi who couldn't understand why anyone would willingly betray their home. My lips curved into a small smile. He may have to go through more training (okay, a lot more) but Konohamaru embodied the very spirit of this village. In a way, I was glad to know he couldn't understand Emiko's actions. It was proof that his own loyalty would never be broken.

* * *

_AN: I think my one-shots are getting longer and wordier. Ah, well, if you muddled through this one, you deserve a lollypop. See my profile for future updates on my stories._  



End file.
